Speaking Engagements

Individual Talks (plus Q and A)

• 101 Reasons not to be Catholic
  There are a million reasons not to be a Catholic and only one reason to be one. You be the judge.
• Making Senses Out of Scripture: Reading the Bible as the First Christians Did
  A fascinating introduction to Scripture as the earliest Christians saw and read it.
• This is My Body: An Evangelical Discovers the Real Presence
  I thought the Catholic Church had fallen for some sort of medieval hocus-pocus. I found out I was wrong. This talk tells how.
• Mary, Mother of the Son
  Few things are more ooky for a nice Evangelical than Catholic devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Here’s the story of how this Evangelical came to see that Catholic Marian theology was thoroughly biblical, refreshingly sane, and deeply satisfying to the soul.
• Live Lent in the Fast Lane
  Lent is a marvelous time of renewal by the Holy Spirit in the desert.  Learn how to bring to bear the tools of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving Jesus offers us so that we can find new life in Him.
• Letting Confession Change Your Life
  An amazing look at the way the Sacrament of Reconcilation can set us free, transform us, and make us the joyful saints we were meant to be.
• The Biblical Roots of Catholic Social Teaching
  Catholic Social Teaching is deeply biblical, sensible, beautiful and profound.  Come take a look at how the Church lives out the two greatest commandments in the riches of her social teaching.
• Mercy Works
  A new and fascinating look at the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.
• The Heart of Catholic Prayer
  Two talks that take us on a voyage deep into the riches of the Our Father and the Hail Mary, the twin pillars of the Church’s prayer life.
• Exploring the Our Father
  A close look at the beautiful profundity of the prayer Jesus gave us.
• Exploring the Hail Mary
  Discover how this prayer from the heart of the Church takes us into the heart of Jesus’ greatest disciple and teaches us to see him magnified in her soul..
• Padding the Case for the New Atheism
  There are only two reasonable arguments for atheism.  The resistance of the New Atheists to sticking with them is a telling sign of the weakness of the atheist position.  Learn how to deal with New Atheist arguments.
• The Drama of Faith
  What do drama, theatre, acting, and film have to do with the spiritual life?  You’d be surprised!  Learn about how closely intertwined faith and the dramatic arts really are in this fascinating exploration of religion and the stage and screen.
• Salt and Light: The Commandments, the Beatitudes, and a Joyful Life
  Two talks that deeply explore the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes, the twin foundation stones of the Church’s moral teaching.
• The Ten Commandments and Authentic Love
  The Ten Commandments are as relevant to a healthy human life today as they were on the day they were given. Find out how God’s revelation of himself to us and of us to ourselves in the Decalogue is the shadow pointing to the reality and the X-ray pointing to the Divine Physician–in terms as accessible and practical as potatoes.
• The Beatitudes
  The Beatitudes crown the Ten Commandments and show us the way to complete happiness through the highly paradoxical teaching of Jesus, field-tested by the saints and shown to be true.  Come and take a look at the surprising road to the happiness the whole world has been looking for since the dawn of time.
• The History and Spirituality of the Rosary
  A fascinating walk through the development of the Rosary, its roots in the biblical and medieval tradition, and its place in our lives in the postmodern world.
• Our Lady of Sorrows: Through Suffering to Glory
  Our culture hates suffering and deals with it by denying us everything that can help us through suffering and give it meaning.  Discover how the Blessed Virgin Mary shows us a different way.
• Marriage for Good
  A look at the riches of the Church’s teaching on the sacrament of Marriage in light of the sixth and ninth commandments.
• By What Authority?: An Evangelical Discovers Catholic Tradition
  The authority of Sacred Tradition is the big dividing line between Catholics and Protestants. This is the story of how an Evangelical, with the unlikely help of the Jesus Seminar, became convinced that Catholic Tradition was the other side of the coin of biblical revelation.
• Care and Feeding of the Lay Catholic Apostle
  Lay Catholics are called to do the vast majority of the work in the New Evangelization. This talk gives some tips, not only to lay people about the cultural and theological glitches that confront the lay apostle in Millennial America, but to clergy and religious who are interested in helping to form their flocks into fellow workers in the Vineyard.
• Deconstructing the Jesus Seminar
  Every couple of years the Jesus Seminar claims to have found the Real Jesus again. Who are these guys? Why are they saying so many stupid things on Larry King Live? This talk gives you the dish on everybody’s favorite theology quacks and the sleight of hand they use to sell dumb media types the Brooklyn Bridge.
• Understanding the Book of Exodus
  If you don’t understand Exodus, you don’t understand the Bible. Learn how this book provides us with many of the keys for grasping the meaning of Jesus Christ.
• Private Revelation
  Explore the fascinating and strange world of Private Revelation, where God makes real to us the truth revealed in Jesus Christ and continues to astound the world with the amazing power of the Holy Spirit.
• Family as Icon of the Holy Trinity
  The family is the closest image we have to the life of the Blessed Trinity. This talk makes clear why.
• Friendship Evangelism
  Friendship is a form of love. So is Evangelism. This talk discusses how the two are related and lived out in the real world.
• Healing and the Communion of Saints
  One very powerful form of prayer is the intercession of the saints. This talk discusses the theology and practice of this ancient form of prayer, particularly with respect to healing prayer.
• How I Got This Way: Confessions of a Double-Jump Convert
  From suburban pagan to college Evangelical to adult Catholic. The story of my journey to the Catholic Church.
• How to Be a Campus Radical
  Anybody can conform to tiresome PC twaddle. It takes real heroism and a lust for life to be a committed Catholic on campus. Here’s how!
• Incarnational Evangelism
  When people were dying, God did not send them a manual. He sent them Emmanuel. Here’s how to bear witness to the Faith with more than just words.
• Indulgences: The World’s Most Misunderstood Spiritual Gifts
  Few things are more outrageous to most non-Catholics (and even many Catholics) than the thought that the Church still grants indulgences. Yet, when they are explained in ordinary language, it turns out they make a tremendous amount of sense! This talk shows how.
• Infallibility Doesn’t Mean Never Having to Say You’re Sorry
  What’s up with the whole infallibility thing? Does anybody believe that stuff anymore? As a matter of fact, yes. This talk explains what infallibility does and does not mean.
• Listening Evangelism
  Evangelism begins in the ears, not the mouth. Learn how to listen to your friends so that you can speak with “the tongue of those who are taught, that [you] may know how to sustain with a word him that is weary (Is 50:4)
• Making Connections: Being a Lay Witness in Postmodern Culture
  The genius of Catholic theology is its ability to connect things wisely and well. Unexpectedly this makes bearing witness to Catholic faith a bit easier in ecologically-sensitive postmodern culture. This talk explains how.
• Radical Hope on Campus
  As Pope John Paul II has frequently stressed, the call of youth is to heroism. This talk addresses the deep desire for heroism among today’s youth and points to the ultimate embodiment of heroism: Jesus Christ.
• Salvation: Participation in the Divine Nature
  Salvation is not just a “forgiven” stamp on the heavenly passport. It’s is a doorway into intimate participation in the life of the Blessed Trinity Himself. This talk sketches the truly awesome nature of life in Christ and give practical steps for entering into that life.
• The Eucharist and the Four Senses of Scripture
  A look at the way in which Word and Sacrament illumine each other in startling and unexpected ways!
• Private Revelation: There’s a Weirdness in God’s Mercy
  God, under carefully controlled laboratory conditions, will do whatever he likes as phenomena from Lourdes to the strange and and wonderful signs of St. Pio attest.  Many ordinary people will likewise attest to Tales of the Unexplained in their lives which have awakened them to the grace and mercy of God.  How are we as Catholics to respond to the claims of such phenomena?  Find out in this fascinating and informative talk.
• Where Are You with God?
  The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the coolest gifts God ever gave us! Here is a talk that shows you how to reap immense benefits from this wonderful encounter with God.

Seminars (Three or more talks with Q and A)

• Making Senses Out of Scripture: Reading the Bible as the First Christians Did
  Reading the Bible in a way that is as old as Scripture itself, this workshop takes you on a “fly-over” of the biblical story from Genesis to Revelation and invites us to explore the literal, allegorical, moral and anagogical senses of Scripture. This workshop will help you see biblical revelation afresh-as Christians have done for 2000 years.
• By What Authority?: An Evangelical Discovers Catholic Tradition
  An in-depth exploration of the Catholic case for Sacred Tradition: part examination of the Faith and part mystery story.
• The Creed
  An intensive introduction to and unpacking of the meaning of the Creed, the richest and densest summary of the Christian faith we have.  If you want to really plumb the incredible riches of the revelation of Jesus Christ, then this series of talks (first given in order to instruct catechists for the Archdiocese of Seattle) is the thing for you!
• The Da Vinci Deception
  A fast-paced and hilarious survey of the blunders, lies and frauds of the best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code.  You will not only learn the devices of the “man behind the curtain” as he attempts to attack the Christians faith and establish a creation myth for resurgent paganism, you will also learn the solid truth of the Faith and acquire the information necessary to defend it from this cunning and dishonest attack.
• Understanding the Book of Revelation
  Drawing on his work with Dr. Scott Hahn in preparing the Catholic Scripture Study lessons on Revelation, Shea introduces the modern reader to what is easily the most difficult book in Scripture and shows how a Catholic can profit greatly from reading it within the Tradition and teaching of the Church.
• Mary, Mother of the Son
  An intensive eight part seminar that gives students a thorough overview of the Church teaching on Mary: its origins and development, its implications for us as disciples of Jesus Christ, and its meaning for the world. Based on the bestseller of the same name, this seminar is guaranteed to deepen your understanding of the place of Mary in the life of the Church and to help you in your devotion to the Mother of God.

Costs and Other Stuff

$2000 for one talk
$3000 for two talks
$3500 for three talks
$4000 for four talks.

Travel: Air travel (including luggage costs) and/or other transportation is covered by the parish or sponsoring group.

Food and Lodging: Accommodations are covered by the parish or sponsoring group.

Book table: I will supply and sign my own books. I will need someone from the parish or sponsoring group to staff the book table for me.

To schedule Mark Shea for a talk for your parish or group, call 425-672-3522 or email Mark